People's Democracy

REPORT 

Renewal Of The Mandate For The Principles Of Secularism And Democracy

 Sambit Mallick

THE University of Hyderabad has been home to a progressive, democratic and secular students’ union since 2002-03. Up to 2001-02, the ethos of democracy and secularism had been defeated by the communal forces on one hand, and, narrow casteist forces, on the other. Situated in the historic city of Hyderabad, which witnessed the glorious Telangana Armed Struggle of the 1950s, the right-wing sectarian forces could not for long prevail against the secular and democratic forces – whether during the last State general election that saw the defeat of the communal TDP-BJP alliance, or in the Students’ Union election in the University Hyderabad since 2002-03. And the Students’ Union election of 2005-06 was no exception. Alongside, the progressive, secular and democratic University Discussion Forum (UDF) is at the forefront of this march to the consolidation of our independence, and establishment of democracy and socialism.

Today universities are characterised by diversity, not only in India but throughout the world. This was the message that came through at the Roundtable on ‘The Universities of the Twenty-First Century’ held at the University of Chicago in October 1991 as part of its centenary celebrations. A university has or is expected to have a ‘universal’ character in more than one sense. It is a site for teaching and research in a variety of intellectual disciplines. The requirements of teaching ensure that specialised intellectual pursuits do not become completely detached from a wider base of knowledge – be it social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, legal, institutional, ideological, and so on. And, Students’ Union elections, anywhere and everywhere, are a composite product of the above-mentioned factors that constitute a wider base of knowledge.

It was the impressive performance of the previous year’s UDF-led Students’ Union (2004-05) that paved the way for the campus community to reassert its faith in the UDF. Among the achievements to its credit, some of the important and crucial victories of the UDF that have altered the very path of the student movement and enhanced student facilities in the campus, for instance,

• halting the annual 10 per cent fee hike in admission fee,

• reduction in the rates charged for application forms and prospectus,

• implementation of Teaching Assistantships to both PG students and research scholars (under the UPE Programme),

• extending Library timings from 9: 30 pm to 12 midnight,

• sanction for three new hostels and a separate two-storied Reading Hall (to be kept open 24 X 7) adjacent to the Library,

• reduction in cut-off grade point from 7.2 to 6.5 for awarding full stipend to M Tech students,

• availability of Speed Post facility at the Campus Post Office,

• appointment of a full-time Placement Coordinator along with school- level Faculty Co-coordinators,

• acceptance of the demand to provide Internet facility to Hostels,

The UDF led Students’ Union has, for the past three years, been fighting the administration to uphold the democratic rights of students through agitations and demonstrations.

With the impressive support of the campus student community, the UDF has been able to emerge victorious in many of these struggles, ranging from the agitation in bringing down the Internet fee, seeking justice against a faculty member involved in sexual harassment, reversing the unjust rustication of four North- East students, halting various moves to implement anti-student policies and decisions at various levels, checkmating the introduction in some courses of the development fee, etc.

Along with its task of students’ welfare, the UDF has also been consistently fighting the right-wing reactionary and sectarian force, the ABVP, that earlier operated under the mask of ‘Discovery’ .The UDF has fought tooth and nail all attempts of this communal student group to divide students on the basis of religion.   

This year’s Students’ Union election witnessed a direct battle between the UDF led alliance (The UDF allied with Dalit student organizations, like the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Students’ Association, the Dalit Students’ Union, etc.) and the ABVP.

The campus community reposed its faith in the secular UDF panel, campaigning for a resurgent Students’ Union. It was, in fact, a mandate vindicating the good work and efforts of the previous Students’ Unions led by the UDF.

The nature of the alliance itself reflects a strong resistance to the communal forces in a unified manner. In the Students’ Union election of 2005-06 held on September 27, 2005, the figures read as follows:

In this election, Bhoopathi Reddy B. (UDF) secured 789 votes by defeating G. Venkataramaiah, the ABVP candidate, by a margin of 183 votes for the post of President. For the post of Vice-President, Vijaya Bhaskar A. (UDF) received 831 votes defeating Nitin Kumar by a margin of 244 votes. For the post of General Secretary, Sathish Kumar P. (UDF-ASA alliance) secured 783 votes defeating Upananda Pani, the ABVP candidate, by a margin of only 9 votes. Rahul Abhijit Sirohi (UDF) received 769 votes by defeating Ramesh by a margin of 287 votes for the post of Joint Secretary. For the post of Cultural Secretary, due to the absence of the candidate in the campus, Narasimha (UDF-BC Students’ Association alliance) lost to R. Aruna Kumari, the ABVP candidate, by a margin of 218 votes. And, for the post of Sports Secretary, Harinath S. (UDF-DSU alliance) received 793 votes defeating Suresh, the ABVP candidate, by a margin of 235 votes.

Thus the Left University Discussion Forum (UDF) has recorded its fourth consecutive victory in the elections. The UDF-led Students’ Union has a larger role to play both in terms of carrying forward the students’ welfare activities and simultaneously upholding the democratic and secular fabric of the campus.

Some of the goals to be achieved this year are as follows:

• Not to allow the annual 10 percent fee hike and retain the same fee structure during the next academic year too.

• Extension of the Teaching Assistantships (UPE) to more students.

• A new university level Insurance Policy covering more ailments to ensure that more students can avail the benefits of the scheme.  

• Implementation of a wireless Internet connectivity (covering all hostels) throughout the campus.

• Introduction of an online fee payment mechanism through ATM (SBI). This will relieve the student community from the hassles of submitting countless challans to the Bank.

• Immediate construction of another Research Scholars’ Hostel to address the issue of accommodation for all research scholars.

• Fee concession for our University students for joining any of the courses at the Centre for Distance Education of the University.

• Improving conditions in the Health Centre in to order to create better facilities for the student community.

• Keeping the library open round the clock (24X7).

We are aware there is no room for complacency if the UDF is to grow in its entirety, in the realms of pedagogy, commitment, organisational tags, collective functioning, etc. In pursuance of this, we have to rise to the occasion and Kaifi Azmi put it,

Those who merely watch the storm from afar

For them, the storm is here and there.

Jump into the waves and you will become the current,

This is the verdict of time, both here and there.

(The write is General Secretary, the University Discussion Forum (UDF), and University of Hyderabad)